Truss-pad



UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

LAZARUS B. MCLAIN, SR., OF NEW LISBON, OHIO.

TRUSS-PAD.

Specification of Letters Patent No. 21,767, dated October 12, 1858.

To all whom t may concern.'

Be it known that I, LAzARUs B. MCLAIN, Sr., of New Lisbon, in the countyof Columbiana and State of Ohio, have invented an Improvement in Padsfor Trusses for Hernia or Rupture; and I do hereby declare that thefollowing is a full, clear, and exact description of the same, referencebeing had to the accompanying drawings, by Figure l of which isrepresented a front view of the pad and straps, and by Fig. 2 a sideView of the pad.

My invention is the result of many years experience in applying trussesfor the radical cure of hernia.

The leading objects governing' me in getting up the invention relate toefficiency, cheapness and durability.

A leading feature of my invention is its simplicity ;-it can beconstructed by any individual who can cut a piece of wood into form, canbe readily and easily applied, and is not likely to get out of order, asare more complicated pads.

As shown by the drawing the pad has attached to it the ordinary bodystrap (a) with the usual thigh strap (6),' but it may be used withsprings, or a spring either with or without a strap, or with any othersuitable means for holding it against the body and producing therequired pressure.

The pad may be constructed of hardened india rubber; gutta percha; ofglass; of metal or any unyielding or inelastic substance. IVhen made ofglass or metal it may be cast in suitable molds and made wholly solid orto some extent hollow, as may be preferred. I generally construct thepad of dry wood, and when so constructing it I take a block which hasbeen turned into a cone having about one quarter less height thandiameter at its base. I first divide this conical block into two piecesby a central vertical line; then on a horizontal line I cut off a smallpart of the top as shown at (c), beveling both of the edges of the cutas indicated by Fig. 2. I then make a plane face at the bottom edge ofthe block (d) and give curved faces to its sides. When the pad thusconstructed is applied to an inguinal or a femoral hernia the plane face(d) is fitted against the abdominal ring or protruding opening of thehernia, the curved face (f) of the block above it being adapted to thewalls of the abdomen. The other curved and beveled surfaces are formedwith the view of accommodating the pad to the motions of the body, sothat only rounded or curved surfaces of the block in the variousmovements of the body shall be brought in contact with the surface ofthe abdomen. It will be noticed, therefore, that thesurface of my padwhich makes pressure upon the protruding sac or rupture is a planesurface, and that I provide support to the abdominal walls immediatelyabove the sac, by a surface whose line of curve or convexity is nearlyif not quite parallel to the natural line of the abdomen in all theusual motions of the body.

The pad is one of very easy fitting and especially so to the laboringman for whose use it was more particularly' invented. Its plane pressuresurface has been found to act very satisfactorily.

What I claim as my invention and desire to secure by Letters Patent is-Constructing pads for trusses, for hernia or rupture, of solid blocks ofhalf cones with plane and curved faces, as herein set forth.

LAZARUS B. MCLAIN, SR.

Witnesses:

JNO. JOHNSON, T. T. EVERETT.

